WWW.NILDCANADA.ORG
700 GLEN FORREST BLVD,
WATERLOO,ON
DISCOVERY DIGEST
N2L 4K6
519-886-8633
V O L U M E
1 ,
I S S U E
2
D E C E M B E R
2 0 1 0
Empowering Learning—NILD Spring Conference
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
• Spring Conference
Mar. 25 & 26, 2011
Bowmanville, ON
• BENEFIT
CONCERT
“Change of Scene”
Fri. Mar. 25th @ 7:30
Dynamic quartet performing the music of ...
Gaither Vocal Band
From the Conference Planning
Team - Conferences are
amazing events! They energize us, give new ideas, reaffirm previous thoughts, and
inspire us to become better
at what we do. Sometimes
they leave us overwhelmed as
we think about how much
more there is to learn. But
isn’t that what we are in the
business of –“ empowering
learning”?
In the years that I have
attended NILD conferences, I
have always been renewed
and inspired by the presenters as well as by mingling with
other therapists, teachers,
and parents.
This year our annual conference is lining up to be another great event. Located
on the campus of Knox
Christian School in Bowmanville, we have a wonderful
lineup of speakers and workshops coming to you on
March 25 and 26. Dr. Ronn
Young, Psychotherapist and
Life Coach, will open the conference with looking at the
social and emotional side of
Learning Difficulties. Allison
Mullinax, B.S., M.A., will
delve into language, comprehension and the connection
between handwriting and
brain function. Relevant videos, brain gym, a live therapy
session, business planning and
conversations about NILD
will all take place at the conference. Not to be forgotten,
coffee, snacks and delicious
lunches are great opportunities to connect and ask questions.
Registration will be available on the website. Sign up
early to benefit from the
Early Bird rates. Remember,
reduced rates are available if
you bring a friend who is new
to NILD. Please consider
attending the Benefit Concert
put on by "Change of Scene"
Friday night as you relax.
Tickets will be $15.00 at the
door.
Brain Injury Recovery with NILD
By Wendy Stanton—Some
years ago, a lead physician at
Bloorview Hospital recommended the Discovery Program for a young boy with a
traumatic brain injury and the
family relocated to my area
to enrol in the therapy with
funding from an insurance
company. This client required
a team approach which included an educational assistant, child social worker,
classroom teacher, resource
teacher and educational
therapist.
When we began therapy, the
child spent much of our session on the floor under the
table, rocking and crying, but
we persevered through difficulty ,and by the end of one
year the student was in class
and functioning at close to
grade level. He graduated out
of the Program after two
years, completed high school
and is now a husband and father.
PAGE
2
Rays of HOPE
By Jane Hoogendam
Mary was huddled in the corner of the hallway, reluctant to
step into the classroom and
face another day of classroom
hubbub and overwhelming
activities. Peter raced into the
classroom and before he knew
it, ploughed Angela down, who
promptly erupted into a flood
of tears. Once again he found
himself on his way to the principal’s office. Alma had tried so
hard on her spelling test, she
studied the words every night,
but when the test came she
drew a blank.
A feeling of despair and
hopelessness can easily overwhelm these students. Does
anyone understand? How can
they be helped? Extra spelling
practice or tiny students wearing protective helmets will not
solve the problems.
Mary is enrolled in the
Discovery program
(educational therapy) with
Mrs. Tyndale and she thrives
on the quiet atmosphere and
individual attention. Therapy
sessions are hard, homework
is often brutal, but she is improving in auditory processing
skills. She doesn’t feel so con-
“After three
years of
Discovery, the
boy who could
not spell five
words correctly
after studying
them all week ,
could spell
twenty words
perfectly for his
test.”
covery, and with parental support, Alma will progress
quickly in math and language
arts.
In my years of teaching, I
have worked as a classroom
teacher, resource teacher, and
Discovery therapist. I have
seen students who fade away
in the classroom start to shine
when they walk into the therapy station. I have seen students in therapy who by the
third year are finally walking
tall down the hallways of the
school. I have had students
who resist therapy, fight their
parents who are trying their
best, but through it all have
finally learned to read. have
prayed with students who do
experience a sense of failure
on a daily basis. I have seen
students blossom, grow, and
develop a new confidence.
Teaching educational therapy
is hard work. My co-worker
and I have laughed when finished a session, as we look at
each other and see we are
totally “wasted”. However,
God has used us to give the
students a “ray of hope” to lift
them up. Each ray will bring
more light into these young
lives.
Fall Seminar Report
By Robin Billard
The Niagara Chapter of
NILD Canada organized a
great day of learning. After
viewing the video from
Richard Lavoie "How Difficult Can This Be?" and listening to a few testimonials
from students and parents,
the group of over 40 interested therapist, parents,
and educators attended
workshops on Math, Visual
Spatial Learners, and comDISCOVERY
fused any more. She can see
the” Dictation and Copy”
paragraphs getting longer, and
even though her head is tired
from thinking, she feels happy.
Peter is always running and
excitable and never stops talking. When he comes to the
Discovery room he is allowed
to talk for five minutes before
the session starts. He knows
this, and when that time is
over, he is ready to concentrate. After struggling through
his Rhythmic Writing, he cannot wait to discover what the
buzzer word is. Mrs. Tyndale
chooses cool words like jackknifed and turbulent. Peter
thinks about his chat with the
principal and how he needs to
think before he acts. He wonders if Mrs. Tyndale can help
him with this, as she often
talks about thinking and processing.
Alma struggles with a weak
short-term memory. Being shy
and new to the school, Alma
will not ask her teacher for
any help. By being proactive,
teachers working with special
education teachers will soon
have her assessed. Memory
can be enhanced by several of
the techniques taught in Dis-
DIGEST
puter technologies for students with LD's. (DVD copies
of these three seminars will be
available for purchase in the new
year.)
Over a delicious lunch
catered from Heritage
Cheese, the participants
interacted and shared stories, encouraging each
other to continue the program that delivers hope to
students and their families.
During this time there was
an opportunity to purchase
NILD materials, books and
games from the Learning
House and Fun Games
Café.
It was exciting to hear
about the changes coming
to NILD Canada– the new
and improved website,
newsletter and other marketing strategies were presented. Let's rejoice over
the fabulous momentum
our God has brought forth
for NILD Canada. Let’s
take that baton and run!